Sealing packages using tape and pull cord

ABSTRACT

An exemplary package-sealing method and system involves sealing a package with adhesive tape such that a pull cord is sandwiched between the tape and the package. A tape head includes a roll of tape and a pull cord spool, and a collar guide that helps position the pull cord between the tape&#39;s sides. Forward and rear applying rollers press leading and trailing edges of the tape, respectively, against the package being sealed. A tape blade and a pull cord blade secured to a cutting arm sever the pull cord before severing the tape, leaving a pull tab that extends out from beneath the tape when the package is sealed. The pull tab allows a user to conveniently unseal the package by grasping the pull cord and pulling thereon to separate the tape from the package without using sharp objects, enhancing user safety and reducing accidental damage to packages.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/734,305 filed Jan. 4, 2013, which is incorporated by referenceherein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This document concerns an invention relating generally to sealingpackages using a tape and a pull cord.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packages like cardboard boxes sealed with tape are generally difficultto open with one's bare hands. Often a knife or other sharp object isused to cut the tape or otherwise access the inside of the package.Using knives and other sharp objects can result in personal injury andcan damage the contents of the package, both of which can be costly.Prior attempts in the case-sealing industry at making easy-open packageshave included folding a portion of the tape onto itself along an edge ofthe tape, leaving a folded strip extending the length of the tape.Because the folded strip of the tape is not sealed to the package, thetape can be pulled off by other packages stacked on top of the package(in, e.g., a production setting). Also, the folded strip can bedifficult to grasp by the user. What is needed is a method forconveniently and safely opening sealed packages without the need forknives or other sharp objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention, which is defined by the claims set forth at the end ofthis document, is directed to methods and systems that at leastpartially alleviate the aforementioned (and other) problems. A basicunderstanding of some of the features of preferred versions of theinvention can be attained from a review of the following brief summaryof the invention, with more details being provided elsewhere in thisdocument. To assist in the reader's understanding, the following reviewmakes reference to the accompanying drawings (which are briefly reviewedin the “Brief Description of the Drawings” section following thisSummary section of this document).

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 5A-5C, an exemplary package sealingmethod and system involves sealing packages 10 using adhesive tape 20,with a pull cord 30 sandwiched between the tape 20 and sealed packages10. A tape head 40, which can be installed in a carton sealer 50, canreceive a roll of tape 60 and a pull cord spool 70. A collar guide 80(FIG. 3) supports the pull cord 30 on its path from the pull cord spool70 to the tape 20, and helps position the pull cord 30 preferably aboutmidway between the sides of tape 20 (FIG. 6). A tape blade 90 and a pullcord blade 100 are secured to a blade adapter 110 (FIGS. 4A-4C), whichis secured to a cutting arm 120 of the tape head 40 (FIG. 7). When apackage 10 encounters the tape head 40, a forward applying roller 130presses a leading end 140 of the tape 20 against the package 10 beingsealed (FIG. 5A). The tape blade 90 and pull cord blade 100 sever thetape 20 and the pull cord 30 at a trailing end 150 of the tape 20 (FIG.5B). A rear applying roller 160 presses the trailing end 150 of the tape20 against the package 10, sealing the package 10 with the tape 20 andpull cord 30 (FIG. 5C). The pull cord 30 is severed before the tape 20is severed, leaving a pull tab 170 that extends beyond the trailing end150 of the tape 20 (FIG. 7). The pull tab 170 allows users to moresafely and conveniently unseal packages 10 by pulling on the pull tab170 to pull the tape 20 off the package 10 (see FIG. 8B).

Numerous advantages are provided by the use of the pull cord 30 and pulltab 170: (1) because knives or other sharp objects are not needed toopen packages 10, users experience fewer injuries, and personalinjury/liability costs are reduced; (2) the ease of use and enhancedsafety translate to a reduction in time spent for safety training; (3)the visibility of the pull cord 30 and the pull tab 170 can provide avisual indication of the condition and security of packages 10; (4) theability to open packages 10 without box cutters or other sharp objectsreduces damage to packages 10, and thus leads to a reduction inunsalables and reversed logistics; (5) the costs of box cutters andother types of box openers can be avoided; (6) not having to cut intopackages 10 reduces cardboard dust, something of concern in foodenvironments because of USDA regulations; (7) reduction in paperwork canbe achieved because there are fewer returns resulting from damage topackages 10; (8) printing costs can be reduced by eliminating “Do NotUse Sharp Object To Open” signage on packages 10; (9) cardboard insertsfor protecting packaged products from sharp objects that would otherwisebe used to unseal packages 10 may not be necessary; (10) in a productionenvironment, the enhanced ease of opening packages 10 can provideincreased efficiencies; (11) use of varying pull cord 30 colors can helpidentify or categorize contents of a given package 10; (12) the pullcord 30 can assist in automated detection of packages 10 (and theircontents) using cameras interfaced with object recognition technology.

Further advantages and features of the invention will be apparent fromthe remainder of this document in conjunction with the associateddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary tape head 40 having a roll of tape 60, a pullcord spool 70, a collar guide 80, and a blade adapter 110.

FIG. 2 shows the pull cord mandrel assembly 180 that is secured to thetape head 40 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the collar guide 80 that is secured to the tape head 40 ofFIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are three different views of the blade adapter 110that is secured to the tape head 40 of FIG. 1, shown with a pull cordblade 100 but without a tape blade 90.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C show the process of sealing a package 10 with thetape head 40 of FIG. 1 installed in a carton sealer 50.

FIG. 6 is a close-up view of a portion of the tape head 40 of FIG. 1,showing a pull cord 30 extending from a pull cord spool 70, through acollar guide 80, to a slit 190 in the tape 20 that is positioned priorto the edge of the tape 20 at the leading end 140 of the tape 20.

FIG. 7 is a close-up view of a cutting arm 120 of the tape head 40 ofFIG. 1, showing the blade adapter 110 of FIG. 1. The tape 20 and pullcord 30 are shown as they appear prior to being severed by the cuttingarm 120 and after they are severed, with the severed tape 20 having aslit 190 at a leading end 140 of the tape 20 and a pull tab 170 at atrailing end 150.

FIG. 8A represents the condition of the tape 20 and pull cord 30resulting from the passage of a package 10 through a carton sealer 50 ifan alternative tape head 40 that does not include a pull cord blade 100is used.

FIG. 8B represents the condition of the tape 20 and pull cord 30resulting from the passage of a package 10 through a carton sealer 50using the tape head 40 of FIG. 1, which includes a pull cord blade 100,and shows the appearance of a leading end 140 and a tape trailing end150 of a sealed package 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED VERSIONS OF THE INVENTION

A user may modify an already-available tape head, such as (for example)Intertape's HSD 2000 series of tape heads (or those of othermanufacturers such as 3M or Loveshaw) to obtain the exemplary tape head40 of FIG. 1. Such tape heads can be used with carton sealers having(for example) Uniform Semi-Automatic, Random Semi-Automatic, UniformAutomatic, or Random Automatic configurations made by such manufacturersas Loveshaw, Intertape, and 3M (see FIGS. 5A-5C). Referring to FIG. 6,the tape 20 from the replaceable roll of tape 60 (received by a tapemandrel or other tape roll holder 200) and the pull cord 30 from thereplaceable pull cord spool 70 are initially separate, and the tape 20and the pull cord 30 are adhered to each other before the tape 20 isapplied to packages 10 being sealed. The tape 20, with its adhesivesurface 210 facing out, travels past a first guide roller 220, a clutchroller 230, a second guide roller 240, and a third guide roller 250before encountering a tape shoe 260 (FIG. 6) and the forward applicationroller 270. The pull cord 30 travels from the pull cord spool 70 andthrough a pull cord aperture 280, and is fed through a collar guideaperture 290. The pull cord 30 is adhered to the adhesive surface 210 ofthe tape 20 prior to beginning a carton sealing cycle represented (forexample) by FIGS. 5A-5C.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pull cord spool 70 can be secured to the tapehead 40 via a pull cord mandrel assembly 180 that serves as a spoolholder. The mandrel assembly 180 includes a mandrel 300 extending froman assembly arm 310. The assembly arm 310 includes apertures 320 forreceiving mandrel fasteners 330 used to secure the pull cord mandrelassembly 180 to the tape head 40. Referring to FIG. 3, a collar guide 80includes a collar pull cord aperture 340 and a collar guide valley 350at opposing ends of a collar guide slit 360. The collar pull cordaperture 340 receives the pull cord 30 past the collar guide valley 350and through the collar guide slit 360. The collar guide 80 can besecured to the tape head 40 by passing the collar guide 80 over a collarguide mandrel 370 via the collar guide aperture mandrel 375 (FIG. 1).Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, the blade adapter 110 includes the pull cordblade 100 and adapter fasteners 380 for securing the tape blade 90 tothe blade adapter 110, and for securing the blade adapter 110 to thetape head 40. The angling of the pull cord blade 100 allows the pullcord blade 100 to more effectively cut into the pull cord 30.

The pull cord blade 100 is preferably circular as such a configurationis well-suited to cutting the pull cord 30, particularly in light of thevelocity with which the cutting arm 120 tends to approach tape 20/pullcord 30. Such a pull cord blade 100 facilitates a cleaner cut forproviding the pull tab 170, reducing “breaks” in the pull cord 30 andremoval of chunks of tape 20 from the trailing end 150 of the tape 20.The blade is preferably set at a twenty-degree angle to the tape 20/tapehead 40, providing a “blocked-out” area between the tape blade 90 andthe pull cord blade 100. Without the blocked-out area, the pull cordblade 100 is more likely to take out a chunk of tape 20. When the pullcord 30 encounters the blade adapter 110, the pull cord 30 is sliced asthe pull cord 30 in effect “slides” down one side of the pull cord blade100. The angle of the pull cord blade 100 helps the blade adapter 110leave the tape 20 relatively intact. The blocked-out area/gapfacilitates the resulting length of pull tab 170.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a package 10 traveling in a direction of packageflow 390 is pressed against the forward applying roller 130, causing theforward applying roller 130 to retract. The tape head 40 first appliesthe leading end 140 of adhesive tape 20 to the package 10, and theforward applying roller 130 presses the tape 20 against the package 10being sealed as the tape 20 rolls off the tape roll 60. Referring toFIG. 5B, once the package 10 has cleared the forward applying roller130, the cutting arm 120 swings such that the tape blade 90 and the pullcord blade 100 cut into and sever the tape 20 and pull cord 30 from thepull cord spool 70 and tape roll 60. Because the pull cord blade 100extends out farther than the tape blade 90, the pull cord 30 is severedbefore the tape 20 is severed. The pull cord blade 100 cuts into thetape 20 to access and sever the pull cord 30, leaving a slit 190 at theleading end 140 of the tape 20 (FIG. 6). This leaves a pull tab 170(having a length of about, for example, half an inch to three-quartersof an inch) extending beyond the trailing end 150 of the tape 20.Referring to FIG. 5C, the rear applying roller 160 presses against thetrailing end 150 of the tape 20 to finish sealing the top of the package10. The tape head 40 may leave about (for example) two inches of tape 20(“legs” of tape 20) extending beyond the top of the package 10 at theleading and trailing ends 140, 150 of the tape 20.

A second tape head (that is inverted in FIGS. 5A-5C relative to thefirst tape head 40) can be used to allow the carton sealer 50 to sealthe bottom of the package 10 with tape (not pictured) as the top of thepackage 10 is being sealed. If a pull cord 30 is desired (additionallyor alternatively) on the bottom of the package 10 (for example, foridentification purposes or to allow the package 10 to be openable fromboth the top and the bottom using a pull tab 170), a pull cord 30 may beincorporated into the inverted tape head 40 used to seal the bottoms ofpackages 10. If the pull cord 30 is desired on the bottom of the package10 but the pull tab 170 is not desired (see FIG. 8A), the pull cordblade 100 would not be incorporated into the bottom tape head 40.

To open a sealed package 10, a user may begin by grasping the pull tab170 protruding from beneath the trailing end 150 of the adhesive tape20. The user may then pull on the pull cord 30 (for example, in adirection that is approximately perpendicular to the top surface of thepackage 10) to separate the tape 20 from the package 10 and unseal thesealed package 10. As represented in FIG. 7, the leading end 140 of theadhesive tape 20 does not include a pull tab 170. Instead, the pull cord30 (and the slit 190) is displaced from the edge of the tape 20 at theleading end 140 by a length that is substantially equal to the length ofthe pull tab 170.

The pull cord 30 is preferably a four-ply cotton cord/string. Such apull cord 30 provides appropriate surface area for the cord/string toadhere to the tape 20 (and travel therewith). Additionally, such a pullcord is capable of cutting the tape when being pulled to open a package10 without slipping out from underneath the tape 20. Moreover, afour-ply cotton cord/string is suitable for being properly cut by thepull cord blade 100 to leave the pull tab 170 without the pull cord 30folding under the tape 20. Further, cotton can be advantageous becauseit can be a relatively inexpensive material. However, other suitablematerials that provide the desired results could also be used; inparticular, equivalent cords having (for example) suitable surface area,dimensions, resilience, etc., could also be incorporated in the pullcord 30.

The tape 20 is preferably a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, having(for example) a two-inch or three-inch width.

It should be understood that various terms referring to orientation andposition are used throughout this document—for example, “top” (as in“top of the package”)—are relative terms rather than absolute ones. Inother words, it should be understood (for example) that the top of thesealed package may in fact be located at the bottom of the carton sealerdepending on the overall orientation of the apparatus. Thus, such termsshould be regarded as words of convenience, rather than limiting terms.

Also in the following description, it is to be understood that suchterms as “forward,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,”and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed aslimiting terms.

Various preferred versions of the invention are shown and describedabove to illustrate different possible features of the invention and thevarying ways in which these features may be combined. Apart fromcombining the different features of the foregoing versions in varyingways, other modifications are also considered to be within the scope ofthe invention. Following is an exemplary list of such modifications.

First, although the above discussion revolves around the exemplary useof a tape head that fits into a tape head cavity of a case sealer,exemplary methods and systems may involve (for example) the use of ahandheld tape applicator.

Second, although in the tape head of FIG. 1 the pull cord and the tapeare joined from separate sources, the pull cord may alternatively beadhered to the tape in advance (e.g., by providing the pull cord as partof the tape roll).

Third, although in the above discussion the pull cord blade is added toa tape head via a blade adapter, the pull cord blade may (for example)alternatively be directly added to the cutting arm, or integrated (forexample) with a replaceable cutting arm.

Fourth, although the pull cord aperture in FIG. 1 is integrated into aback plate 400 of the tape head, the tape head may alternatively oradditionally be provided with (for example) a separate flange that issecured to the back plate via (for example) a fastener. The flange mayhave (for example) a slit and/or aperture for receiving the pull cordand supporting the pull cord on its path from the pull cord spool to(for example) the collar guide and/or to the adhesive surface of thetape.

Fifth, the blade adapter, pull cord mandrel assembly, collar guide,and/or pull cord spool can be reconfigured (by changing, for example,their relative dimensions, positions, materials, securing mechanisms,etc.) so as to fit the particular tape head being used.

Sixth, although the above configuration provides a pull tab to assistusers in opening sealed packages, the pull cord blade may be eliminated(for example) so as to achieve a pull cord that extends the length ofthe tape but does not extend beyond the tape to provide a pull tab (seeFIG. 8A). A pull cord without a pull tab could be applied (for example)to aid in identifying or categorizing packages.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the preferred versions ofthe invention described above, but rather is intended to be limited onlyby the claims set out below. Thus, the invention encompasses alldifferent versions that fall literally or equivalently within the scopeof these claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tape head for a carton sealer, a. the tape headincluding: i. a tape holder for receiving tape; and ii. a cutting armhaving: 1) a tape blade; and 2) a pull cord blade separated from thetape blade; b. wherein when the tape head is received in a carton sealerto seal cartons using tape and a lengthwise pull cord, the cutting armis configured to cut the tape as a carton moves past the tape head suchthat a portion of the pull cord extends beyond one end of the tape toform a pull tab, whereby a user may pull on the pull tab to separate thetape from the carton and unseal the carton without needing to cut thetape.
 2. The tape head of claim 1 wherein the tape head further includesa pull cord holder for receiving a pull cord.
 3. The tape head of claim2 wherein when a carton moves through a carton sealer with the tapehead, the pull cord blade severs a pull cord from the pull cord holderbefore the tape blade severs a tape from the tape holder.
 4. The tapehead of claim 2: a. further including: i. a roll of tape received in thetape holder; and ii. a spool of pull cord received in the pull cordholder; b. wherein the pull cord is adhered to the tape before the tapeand the pull cord are cut.
 5. The tape head of claim 1 wherein when thetape head is in a carton sealer, the tape is cut after pull cord isadhered thereto.
 6. The tape head of claim 1 wherein: a. a leading endof the tape is secured to a carton moving past the tape head before atrailing end of the tape is secured to the carton, the trailing endopposing the leading end; and b. the pull cord extends beyond thetrailing end of the tape to form the pull tab.
 7. The tape head of claim6 wherein the pull cord does not extend beyond the leading end of thetape sealing a carton such that there is no second pull tab at theleading end of the tape.
 8. The tape head of claim 1 wherein the pullcord blade is angled with respect to the tape blade.
 9. The tape head ofclaim 1 wherein the pull cord extends farther along a cutting directionthan the tape blade.
 10. The tape head of claim 1 wherein the tapeextends widthwise from a tape first side to a tape second side, the tapehead further including a collar guide configured to laterally positionthe pull cord between the tape first side and the tape second side. 11.The tape head of claim 1 wherein the cutting arm is movable between acutting arm retracted position and a cutting arm extended position, thecutting arm being biased towards the cutting arm extended position. 12.The tape head of claim 11 wherein when the tape head is received in acarton sealer: a. the cutting arm is in a path of moving cartons whenthe cutting arm is in the cutting arm extended position; and b. thecutting arm is moved to the cutting arm retracted position by movingcartons.
 13. The tape head of claim 12 wherein the tape head isconfigured such that the tape and the pull cord are cut by the tapeblade and the pull cord blade after a moving carton has cleared aforward applying roller.
 14. The tape head of claim 1 further includinga retractable forward applying roller and a retractable rear applyingroller, the forward and rear applying rollers being positioned onopposing sides of the cutting arm, wherein when the tape head isreceived in a carton sealer, the forward and rear applying rollers applypressure to adhesive tape to seal cartons.
 15. The tape head of claim 1wherein: a. the cutting arm is: i. movable between a cutting armretracted position and a cutting arm extended position, the cutting armbeing biased towards the cutting arm extended position; ii. positionedbetween a retractable forward applying roller and a retractable rearapplying roller: b. the tape head is configured to cut a pull cord andan adhesive tape after the cutting arm has started moving from thecutting arm retracted position towards the cutting arm extendedposition.
 16. The tape head of claim 1 further including a collar guideconfigured to support a pull cord on a path from the pull cord holder totape from the tape holder.
 17. A tape head for a carton sealer, a. thetape head including a cutting arm having: i. a tape blade; and ii. apull cord blade separate from the tape blade; b. wherein the tape headseals cartons with a tape and a pull cord by using the cutting arm tocut the tape and the pull cord as a carton moves past the tape head suchthat a portion of the pull cord extends beyond one end of the tape toform a pull tab, whereby a user may pull on the pull tab to separate thetape from the carton and unseal the carton without needing to cut thetape.
 18. The tape head of claim 17 wherein when the tape head isreceived in a carton sealer, the tape head is configured such that as acarton moves through the carton sealer, a. pull cord is adheredlengthwise to the tape, and b. the pull cord blade severs pull cordbefore the tape blade severs the tape.
 19. A method of using a tape headto seal cartons, a. the tape head including a cutting arm having: i. atape blade; and ii. a pull cord blade separate from the tape blade; b.wherein the method includes the step of using the tape head to seal acarton with a tape and a pull cord by using the cutting arm to cut thetape and the pull cord as a carton moves past the tape head such that aportion of the pull cord extends beyond one end of the tape to form apull tab, whereby a user may pull on the pull tab to separate the tapefrom the carton and unseal the carton without needing to cut the tape.20. The method of claim 19 wherein: a. the tape head further includes:i. a tape holder for receiving tape; ii. a pull cord holder forreceiving pull cord; b. the method further includes the steps of: i.securing a roll of tape to the tape holder; ii. securing a spool of pullcord to the pull cord holder; and iii. installing the tape head in acarton sealer to seal the carton with tape and pull cord, wherein thepull cord blade is used to sever pull cord before the tape blade is usedto sever tape.